Embodiments of the invention relate to providing electronic application programs/services and content to local sites and managing a home network. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a multimedia applications gateway supporting a number of applications and services in a home network.
Electronic application programs are used within a home or business for many reasons to assist people in their lives by establishing particular services. As such, the applications programs and the services they provide may be referred to collectively as application programs/services. For example, a personal computer may contain many application programs establishing services that allow an individual to interface with the computer to perform various tasks such as word processing, electronic mail, and scheduling. As more devices within a home or business are becoming electronic, the variety of application programs/services that work in conjunction with these devices is greatly expanding. Application programs/services now extend beyond those typically found on a personal computer that are focused on interaction with the user. For example, application programs/services now exist to provide customized control of security systems, heating and cooling systems, household appliances, and various other systems and devices.
An existing system for managing applications in a home network is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,209,945, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This patent discloses an application services gateway for managing various aspects of applications/services. While the existing application services gateway is well suited for its intended purposes, additional features may be added to the existing device. The multimedia applications gateway extends the capabilities of the applications services gateway, including the integration of LAN switch and communication gateway functionality into the multimedia applications gateway.